Cherry flavored pred.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get this horrible concoction down a cat? I can usually get some really nasty liquid meds in a cat, but I think this is a lost cause. Don't ask why it's cherry, I think they lost their minds...

I got most of it in Blasa, she's my good one. I don't think I got any of it in Tanna - even with me "shooting" it down the back of her throat past her tongue it didn't work. She held most of it in her mouth and instead of swallowing she oozed it out the sides. Blann did much the same, though I think I got at least a quarter of his dose him in. The rest of it is on the towel and me - they even managed to flick some on my face at some point.

Their dose is 1.5cc's (at 5mg). Could that size be achieved as a pill? It would be a lot easier. It would either go down or not, instead of everywhere else.
Should I call them up in the morning and demand another form for it or try to stick this out for few more dosings?

Prednisone comes in 5 mg tablets. And they are scored, so can be split if needed.

I find it very strange that vets always want to give liquid as a first choice for medicating cats. I find pills MUCH easier.

Cherry liquid for cats? Gah!

Originally Posted by otto

Prednisone comes in 5 mg tablets. And they are scored, so can be split if needed.

I find it very strange that vets always want to give liquid as a first choice for medicating cats. I find pills MUCH easier.

Cherry liquid for cats? Gah!

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Same here only one cat needed liquid and she is over the RB

The 5 mg pred tablets are very small and very easy to give to a cat. Two of my cats have to take them every other day for the rest of their lives and it takes me about a minute to pill both of them. They are also a lot less expensive than the liquid version.

I know the cherry flavor you are talking about - I went to a compounding pharmacy one time to turn pills into liquid and they used that cherry flavor - cats hate it. I asked the pharmacy for meat flavor and they just laughed.

I don't think the liquid was that expensive, we were all in a bit of a hurry yesterday at closing time so I didn't get an itemized receipt - my guess is that the antibiotic was what cost me over $50.

I'll call them. If they don't have it my regular pharmacy should, correct? I do really prefer pills, it's bad enough I have two other meds to give that are also liquid and taste terrible.

My vet stocks pred and I get about 60 pills for around $12. My guess is that a pharmacy would actually charge more than what a vet would charge. I've never known a vet that didn't stock pred.

^There's no telling what they have at the moment.

Yesterday I was standing at the counter and looked back to where they keep the livestock meds and some vaccines (cooler) and there was a watermelon in there...

Originally Posted by strange_wings

^There's no telling what they have at the moment.

Yesterday I was standing at the counter and looked back to where they keep the livestock meds and some vaccines (cooler) and there was a watermelon in there...

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That's funny!

Yeah, your vet should write a prescription if they don't have the pills, but I agree with Amy, they probably do.

I get all my cats' maintenance meds through my local human pharmacy. On some things, like phenobarbital, there isn't much difference in cost. On things like CRF supplies (lactated ringers fluid, needles) I saved a fortune.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I don't think the liquid was that expensive, we were all in a bit of a hurry yesterday at closing time so I didn't get an itemized receipt - my guess is that the antibiotic was what cost me over $50.

I'll call them. If they don't have it my regular pharmacy should, correct? I do really prefer pills, it's bad enough I have two other meds to give that are also liquid and taste terrible.

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Hi strange_wings. What I found out in my area is that my local (human) pharmacy only carries prednisolone in liquid form. They carry prednisone in tablets, but not prednisolone. I found this out when the pharmacist gave me prednisone and didn't tell me about the substitution. (The pills thankfully do not look the same, so I was easily able to tell the difference.)

When I searched online about the differences between the two drugs, the only thing I could really find is that prednisolone is absorbed into the body more easily than prednisone, but that they are essentially the same drug.

But as I am not a pharmacist or doctor, and the internet isn't always correct, I wasn't about to chance it with my boys. I ended up bringing the prednisone back to the pharmacy to get a refund, and had my vet fill the prednisolone prescription. Tablets are so much easier than liquids for my boys as well. Good luck!

^It may very well be that they went with that was convenient... to get.

I'm getting a little antsy here. I know it's surgery day and they're busy, but I need to dose the kittens with their next dose. I refuse to do so I can can't get it into them reliably.

Just how much harm can it do if the dosage varies a lot on a medicine that you usually don't want to mess around with? I'm guessing it's not safe to risk this!

First of all, the meds are made for humans, and given at a dosage that is appropriate for a small animal. That is why they're flavored with mint, or cherry, or banana or grape. Those are usually the pediatric and oral formulations. Very nearly all medications are human medicines (with the exceptions of species specific vaccinations, flea medications, and a few others.) Pediatric meds are a lower dosage or strength, and a smaller volume. Most pills are designed for adults (human adults, average 150 pounds, give or take.) This is why most veterinarian dispensing pharmacies use elixirs or oral liquid medications. It is much easier to calculate a cat or small dog dose using a liquid pediatric medication, because the dose/kg is more comparable than an adult medication (which is usually a pill form.) Do check into prices and availability at a local pharmacy. Again, many medications that vets dispense are generic medications, and they will be much cheaper at a pharmacy than at a vet's office. About half of the states require a vet to write a prescription, if the client requests it. Check HERE to see if your state does.

^ I know that. I've used a banana flavored med many many years ago - it's easier to get down a cat. Cherry is just so strong that I don't see why anyone would logically think a cat would allow it - the tech yesterday actually seemed surprised when I mentioned cherry would be a problem. She said "oh, it's sweet, they should like it".
Their reasoning for liquids is that they believe it's easier to get a cat to take. I think they're confusing cats with dogs?

Other stuff that is human meds has came unflavored or they had it compounded with chicken flavoring.

In any case I'll be by tomorrow to pick up pills and some pill pockets to see if those will work for Tanna.

My point was what use is liquid pred, a med that much be dosed and tapered carefully, when I may be getting 1/4th cc in one dose, 2/3rds another, or practically none. No reasoning behind what they choose to use matters if it doesn't make it into the cat in the first place - I might as well squirt it straight onto the towel and my lap.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I might as well squirt it straight onto the towel and my lap.

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Oh yeah, I've been there! One and a half cc's is a lot of liquid, but when you get into the smaller amounts (1/2 cc and smaller) the liquid will fit nicely into gel caps, which is helpful to make sure the full dose gets into the cat.

Some people would open cat sanctuaries if they became millionaires. I'd open a feline pharmacy and feline pharmaceutical research and development facility.

^Except research and development wouldn't be something you'd ultimately like.


Good news. The pills work perfectly. Bad news, only Tanna likes the pill pockets - the other two think they taste funny or something. But that's fine, Tanna is the little terror anyways. She didn't even know she got medicine.

Educated guess:  When humans take prednisone it gets converted via the liver to prednisolone (the active drug form).  Patients with liver disease are often prescribed prednisolone rather than prednisone because they can't convert the medication or their body would struggle to do so given their condition.  "Liquid Pred" isn't prednisone, it's prednisolone.  I'm not a wiz kid on cats, but perhaps they do not convert or don't convert well which would be a reason to go with the liquid prednisolone over tablets despite it being difficult to administer :-/